


Unsafe

by KyeAbove



Series: The Reinforcement Of Agony AU [81]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Gen, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14932988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeAbove/pseuds/KyeAbove
Summary: January 3rd, 1943. Madison, Wisconsin. Agony:???Of all the people from his past, Henry never expected to run into one of Sammy’s sons first. Not only that, but a granddaughter as well.





	Unsafe

~January 3rd, 1943~

* * *

 

Lundie at twenty-four was much different than Lundie at fourteen. Henry guessed that was because he was now looking up at Lundie much more than he ever had to. In ten years, Henry had remained five feet, the heels of his boots only doing so much, but Lundie had settled in at around six feet.

It was rather jarring, and Henry had to remind himself that Johnny Lawrence had been reasonably tall. Sammy might have even been taller if he hadn’t been starved and ill for much of his childhood and beyond. It made sense that Lundie could be tall. Still, Henry couldn’t shake that unsettled feeling.

Henry had watched Lundie grow up, after all. A small, smiling boy was always what Henry first pictured when he thought of London Lawrence. A boy who always talked of wanting to be one of Henry’s animators. The boy had a certain talent for drawing and animation, and Henry assured him that once Lundie turned sixteen, he’d take him on properly.

Those dreams had gone nowhere, but Henry hoped Lundie had followed his dreams without Henry. The tired look in Lundie’s eye could be the result of pain or working to greatness.

“How’s the family, Lundie?”

“Good.” Lundie’s blunt tone cut off anymore conversation about that. Clearly, now wasn’t the time. Or, Lundie had set himself apart from the family, and wouldn’t know. Lundie had the Lawrence spirit, but all the same he’d become more quiet and withdrawn as he’d gotten older. It was possible that it had been a natural progression towards separation.

Henry wasn’t go to pry.

A little girl appeared from behind Lundie, climbing up Lundie’s leg, and settling in his arms. She couldn’t have been more than five, but her eyes spoke of an old soul. The family resemblance was clear. Those eyes of her took from Sammy’s own hazel.

“Evelyn Samanta Lawrence.” Lundie introduced, a faint bit of pride making an appearance in his voice and face. “Eve, or Sammie, with an ‘ie’, for short.”

“Must get confusing between her and your father.” Henry pointed out, joking a little. Lundie had said ‘Sammie’ more like ‘Same-ie’, so Henry assumed there would only be any issue if one of them wasn’t paying enough attention.

“...yes. Yes, it does. But we deal.”

If Henry had picked up on little Eve’s sadness, or how uncomfortable Lundie was, he might have begun to dwell more on why he never heard from them again after this one meeting.

But Henry had enough on his mind, and it didn’t register. Instead, Henry offered out a hand.

“Would you like to get coffee with me? I’d love to catch up.” It also gave Henry an excuse to not go home. A good reason why. He didn’t want to face Linda. Plus, it’d give her more time with her lover.

Henry wondered if Linda knew he _knew._

It wasn’t Lundie who took his hand, but Eve. She looked up at her father, expectantly.

“We must get coffee. I want a hot chocolate.” Eve spoke, gripping Henry’s hand tighter. Henry let her.

This would be up to Lundie, who looked like he wanted to run away. Henry wouldn’t blame him. Lundie, as much as anyone, would have realized Henry ran away from his problems, instead of facing them head on.

He’d done that, instead of telling Joey to keep his hands off him, and to at least wait for things to sort themselves out. Henry had been in love with someone else, but there was a chance of him finding another person.

Henry had barely been able to secure another job after he quit. With a baby on the way at the time, he should had kept working for Joey. Henry hadn’t, and he’d ran away from his problems. Waited, for someone else to find him and bring him back.

The first familiar face in ten years since was Lundie, and Lundie was going to run away. Henry knew it.

“I’m sorry, Eve. Henry.” Lundie pulled Eve’s hand away. See? Henry had been right. But he understood. “But we’re only in town because my girlfriend liked a certain variant of flower only found in this area, and...uhm.”

“Mommy wants them for her grave. She told me in a dream last night.”

Oh.

“At least let me point you in the direction you need to go. What’s the flower?”

Eve spoke for her father, telling of a flower that was actually rather common. But if Eve’s mother told her that she needed the flower from this town, who was Henry to argue with a child?

Lundie was quick to dash off after that, Eve waving back at Henry.

Even though it must be for the best, Henry wished this reunion with his past hadn’t been in vain.

**Author's Note:**

> If the story felt awkward and stunted that was intended, to go along with the content.
> 
> If Lundie hadn’t chickened out and had just said “My family is gone! Everyone is missing! The police won’t believe anything I say. Henry, help us!” and maybe cried a little or a lot, this AU would be very different. Henry wouldn’t have had another thought before running for the studio, instead of finding out twenty years after this that something bad really happened. Lundie’s original plan was to ask Henry for help, but at the very last minute he couldn’t do it. He thinks Henry might actually be behind everything, but was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.


End file.
